A Memorial Mass will take place at the Holy Spirit Cathedral, Adabraka, on Friday, October 23, 2026, to mark the first anniversary of the passing of Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, former First Lady and Founder of non-governmental organisation (NGO) the 31st December Women’s Movement.
An announcement from the family spokesperson said the Mass would commence promptly at 10 am and end by midday.
The attire is either white or black and white.
The former First Lady passed away on October 23 last year.
As First Lady from 1981 to 2001, she was politically active, a leading advocate for women’s empowerment, gender issues, grass-roots development and poverty alleviation.
Legacy
During the creation of the district assemblies in the 1980s, and throughout her political activism, Mrs Agyeman-Rawlings encouraged Ghanaian women to get involved in the politics of running their communities, thereby paving the way for the vast number of women we see in active politics, industry and leadership positions today.
The 31st December Women’s Movement constructed over one thousand early childhood development centres in Ghana through funding from the donor community, international organisations and also through the initiative of local communities.
These early childhood development centres have contributed greatly to reducing the poverty cycle in Ghana by creating equal access to preschool education for rural and urban poor communities.
Her legacy is profound. She played a pivotal role during the Beijing Conference – United Nations World Conference on Women in 1995, as she took a leading role in regional peace initiatives involving First Ladies in West Africa and in Africa.
Significantly, her determined quest to protect the rights of women and children in Ghana led to the promulgation of PNDC Laws 111, 112, 113, 114, 115 and Article 28(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, which is also reflected in the Children’s Act 1998 (Act 560).
Active politics
Ghana’s return to democratic rule in 1992 also earned her the honour of being not just the first First Lady, but the mother of the Fourth Republic and continued to use that position to champion women's empowerment.
Beyond that, the late former First Lady was a major driving force in the establishment of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), contesting and being elected a Vice-Chairperson in 2010.
Again in 2011, she contested but lost the flagbearership of the party.
In 2012, she founded the National Democratic Party (NDP) and became the first female Presidential Aspirant in the history of Ghana who contested as a presidential candidate on the ticket of the NDP during the 2016 presidential elections.
